Microsoft: Xbox 360 Warranty and Service Enhancements
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
From xbox.com (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemsetup/xbox360/resources/warrantyupdate.htm ): [QUOTE] 1. New Warranty Enhancements, Including Cost-Free Shipping and Return of Original Console We recently announced that we changed the Xbox 360 warranty in the United States and Canada from 90 days to one year from the date of purchase. Now we’re adding additional service enhancements, taking Xbox 360 customer service one step further. – Free Shipping: In the event your console needs to be returned to us for repair your shipping costs are free. We will immediately send you a postage paid container in which to send us your console, and we will pay for shipping charges to return your console to you. We are committed to delivering an improved Xbox customer service experience for our Xbox 360 console customers, one that is faster, more efficient and includes shipping free of any charge. From our customer service representatives to our executive team, the entire Xbox team has made delivering on this commitment a top priority. – New Post-Service Warranty: If we repair your Xbox 360 within the original warranty period, you will receive either the balance of your original warranty, or 90 days, whichever is longer. In addition, we will now pay for the shipping both ways. If we repair your Xbox 360 after the warranty period has expired, while you will be responsible for the repair costs, your repaired console will be returned to you with a new, one year repair warranty. – Return of Original Console In either an in warranty or out of warranty situation, most customers will now receive their original console back from Microsoft. 2. Faster Service We are implementing an expedited repair process; upon receipt of the console, Microsoft will repair it and ship it to you within five business days. 3. Enhanced Operations We’re increasing the number of Xbox customer care representatives, enhancing our training processes and further building out our on-site technical support, all so our customers will begin to experience a noticeable improvement in the quality of the service they receive when they contact us. Xbox will be hiring a customer care champion who will be responsible for ensuring the end-to-end experience for all Xbox customers is first-class, evaluating and implementing new practices and policies to further enhance the Xbox customer experience. We are also adding more staff at the supervisory level, to ensure we serve you better. [/QUOTE]
Microsoft Holding Fire on Motion-Control
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
From mcvuk.com (http://www.mcvuk.com/news/26398/Microsoft-holding-fire-on-motion-control ): [QUOTE] Despite Xbox 360 being currently the only next-gen console to offer no form of motion control via its standard joypad, Microsoft’s developer group general manager Chris Satchell has told CVG that his firm is waiting to see how the sector develops before making any moves. “There’s no point building the hardware if nobody really wants it,” Satchell stated. “One thing I’m not certain of is that third-parties are super-excited about the motion control, or at least they’re not showing it with the games hitting the shelves yet. [/QUOTE] Full Story: mcvuk.com (http://www.mcvuk.com/news/26398/Microsoft-holding-fire-on-motion-control )
Videora Xbox360 Converter v2.16
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Red Kawa released a new version of the Videora Xbox360 Converter(info (http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox360-tools/VideoraXbox360Converter.php )) – a tool that allows you to convert your regular PC video files (avi, mpeg, etc) into the proper video format that your Xbox360 understands. What’s new/fixed: * Added: Xbox 360 MPEG-2 Support * Updated: FFmpeg rev8564 * Release Notes: Xbox 360 MPEG-2 support has been re-added to the main conversion core. For now, Videora Xbox360 Converter only converts videos to MPEG-2 format. This means Windows Media Center (2005 or Vista) is required in order to view and playback your converted MPEG-2 videos. We hope to add support for conversion into WMV eventually. * Upgrade Notes: There is no upgrade available so you will have to download the full installer. The full installer will overwrite your old version so you will loose all your old settings and profiles This version is substantially different from the last and there is no way to keep your old settings and profiles. Official Site: www.videora.com (http://www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/Xbox360/index.html ) Download: here (http://dwl.xbox-scene.com/xbox360pc/videoconverters/videoraxbox360converter_Installer.exe )
Microsoft Launches Xbox360 Disc Replacement Program
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
From xbox.com (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/gameplay/discreplacement-program.htm ): [QUOTE] If, for any reason, you have a damaged Microsoft Xbox 360 disc and like to replace it, please review the information below: THIS PROGRAM IS GOOD ONLY FOR XBOX 360 CONSOLE OWNERS IN COUNTRIES WHERE XBOX 360 IS SOLD AT AUTHORIZED RETAIL LOCATIONS. This program only applies to games where Microsoft is the publisher, and is subject to availability. To check and see if your game is available for replacement, please review which Microsoft products currently fall under this program here. Link to Game List Page You will need to print and complete the program form. Once the products have been received by Microsoft, please allow four to six weeks for delivery. The following game titles are currently available for this program: Crackdown, Fuzion Frenzy 2, Gears Of War, Halo 2, Kameo: Elements of Power, Ninety Nine Nights, Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3, Viva Pi?ata, Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Vol. 1 [/QUOTE] Note that they’ll still ask you 20USD/15EUR/10GBP to replace the disc. More Details: xbox.com (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/gameplay/discreplacement-program.htm )
Free60: X.org Driver and a new ‘Full’ Gentoo LiveCD for Xbox360
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
More development from free60 … they released X.org xenon drivers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X.org ) and Cpasjuste, who already released a Gentoo ‘Minimal’ Xenon LiveCD (http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EEZVkkupVEVlxmFhzE.php ) (87MB) a few days ago, now released a Xenon modified ISO based on the ‘full’ BETA Gentoo LiveCD (608MB): [QUOTE] No April Fools’ Day joke. We have released a preliminary X.org driver (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=139616&package_id=227107 ) and Cpasjuste has built a new LiveCD (http://www.free60.org/wiki/LiveCD ) which makes use of it. Unfortunately, support for Samsung drives and sound drivers are still missing. [/QUOTE] From the gentoo-livecd-xenon-beta readme: [QUOTE] This is a liveCD for Linux on the Xbox 360. It is based on the experimental gentoo liveCD that can be found here (http://gentoo.mirrors.pair.com/experimental/ppc64/livecd/ ). It has a few changes to boot on the Xbox 360 (codename xenon). Currently, Samsung drives aren’t supported, there is no sound driver, and you should use vga output for better results. This liveCD is build with the new xenosfb driver so it have a full gnome desktop. It also contains the powerpc64 toolchain for developers. How does it work ? Burn gentoo-livecd-xenon-beta.iso. Upload the cdreader binary via serial, or use the new king kong patcher with built-in readcd code, this will open the dvd tray. Put the gentoo-livecd-xenon-beta CD in the drive. cdreader will automatically start the xell bootloader located at lba 0x20 on this cd and boot the Linux Kernel. [/QUOTE] Note: Like with all homebrew/linux stuff on Xbox360 atm you’ll need Xbox360 kernel 4532/4548, a burned King Kong Xbox360 game with patched shaders and a Xbox360 DVD-ROM drive (Hitachi-LG only for the LiveCD if you use Xorloser’s new ‘no-serial-cable’ shaders) with modified firmware. Official Site: www.free60.org (http://www.free60.org ) Download X.org drivers: here (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=139616&package_id=227107 ) Download Xenon Gentoo LiveCD Beta (608MB): here (http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=free60&filename=gentoo-livecd-xenon-beta.tar.bz2 )
Xbox360 Elite HDMI is v1.2 not v1.3
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Amirm, a Microsoft HD-DVD insider, posted some details (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10176889&&#post10176889 ) on the AVS forums about the HDMI port on the upcoming Xbox360 Elite: [QUOTE] Xbox 360 Elite supports HDMI 1.2 profile. For audio, you can select DD, DTS (at 1.5 Mbps), and WMA-Pro (Microsoft high fidelity multi-channel codec supported in some AVRs such as Pioneer). Since it is not based on 1.3, it will not support output of DD+ or TrueHD (even if it did, mixing would have been turned off). PCM output is available but only for 2-channels (not 5.1). If you are keen on having 5.1 PCM output, I recommend purchasing the Toshiba A2 player which after the price drop, will be much cheaper than Elite. Answering other questions, both Xbox 360 Elite and current Xbox 360 units will have a spring (console) update which adds support for different video levels for VGA output (“7.5 IRE vs 0”). And as someone mentioned, using this setting you should be able to use computer monitors in addition to TVs with resolutions all the way up to 1080p with high fidelity and no issues with HDCP handshaking. So for current users, I highly recommend trying this update with your VGA connection to see if it does the job for you. Note that this is a console update and will work for both games and of course, HD DVD. The HD DVD software update is separate from this (and will be available on both Xbox Live and xbox.com). On output video format, Xbox 360 Elite will perform a handshake and select the appropriate RGB/YUV settings over HDMI. You cannot select it yourself. [/QUOTE] Full Story: avsforum.com (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10176889&&#post10176889 ) Thanks to JP for the link.
Andre Vrignaud Confirms no HDMI-cable for ‘old 360s’, HDMI Advantages
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Andre Vrignaud (Ozymandias) working for Microsoft confirmed in a reply on his blog (http://ozymandias.com/archive/2007/03/28/Elite-Xbox-360-SKU-Announced.aspx#2 ) what we kinda already knew … but it’s the first time Microsoft says/admits it … the ‘old 360’ will not get a HDMI cable: [QUOTE] Re: “Will there be an HDMI cable released for us early adopters? If not that kinda sucks.” Unfortunately there will not be an HDMI adapter released for the original 360. The HDMI spec is basically a 2-way street and requires the specific port on both sides to be enabled. This is why we had to change the box. [/QUOTE] Thanks to Jake for the link. Yesterday, Engadget ran a story (http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EEZVElAEukCRRJJWmQ.php ) that Microsoft support claimed a component-to-HDMI adapter might be released. Even if true, they are probably talking about an analog-to-digital converter (which are already available out there btw) which obviously misses the point of using HDMI. Talking about the advantages to use HDMI, kotaku.com (http://kotaku.com/gaming/multi+tap/multi+tap-a-week-in-comments-248387.php ) has an interesting story about that: [QUOTE] I’ll explain why someone would want HDMI: 1: DVDCCA, AACS consortium & ICT (& 360 VGA wonkiness) 2: Very few HDTVs will not accept 1080p over component, and most will not take it over VGA. 3: HDMI 1.3 provides audio options that optical or coaxial audio do not. 4: HDMI can carry higher quality video. 5: HDMI is a wonderful cabling solution. If you have 4 component video devices on a switch box (4:1), like I do, you have at least 20 cables on the back of that box. [/QUOTE] Full Story: kotaku.com (http://kotaku.com/gaming/multi+tap/multi+tap-a-week-in-comments-248387.php )
Reaction to the Elite has been Negative, says research group
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
From gamepro.com (http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=107708 ): [QUOTE] A message sent to us by BrandIntel, a research company focused on “online market intelligence solutions”, has reported that “the Elite is landing with more questions and frustration than excitement.” * Overall sentiment for the Elite is negative, and is currently below the positive sentiment garnered by the Wii and the Playstation 3. Although perception of the system is negative, the intent to purchase an Elite is still positive, with 48 percent of gamers who made statements regarding purchasing, suggesting that they would purchase a system. * Many gamers do not perceive value in purchasing an Elite, and do not feel the addition of HD capabilities and a 120 GB hard drive is worth the new price tag. This lack of value generated 18 percent of Elite-based discussion. * There is a good deal of frustration from current 360 owners regarding the timing of the product. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamepro.com (http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=107708 )
Eight 360 Dev Kits Donated to Aussie Industry
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
From gamespot.com (http://www.gamespot.com/pages/news/story.php?sid=6168344&part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6168344 ): [QUOTE] Game development companies in the Australian State of Victoria received a boost today, with the Victorian Government announcing that it will donate eight Xbox 360 development kits worth A$65,000 ($52,000) to the industry. The dev kits will be given to the Game Developers Association of Australia (GDAA), which will then loan out the kits to various development studios across Victoria. Companies interested in putting their hands up for one of the kits will need to put in an application to the GDAA. Throughout the duration of the loan, the GDAA will monitor the progress of game development, and will help developers in the process of getting new games to market. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamespot.com (http://www.gamespot.com/pages/news/story.php?sid=6168344&part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6168344 )
‘Children of Men’ HD DVD Hits Xbox 360 Playback Snag?
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, April 04, 2007
From highdefdigest.com (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Technical_Glitches/Xbox_360/Microsoft/Universal/Children_of_Men_HD_DVD_Hits_Xbox_360_Playback_Snag/552 ): [QUOTE] We’ve received numerous reader reports that Universal’s new ‘Children of Men’ HD DVD is a bit of lemon for some Xbox 360 owners, due to incompatibility problems with the console’s HD DVD add-on drive. ‘Children of Men’ hit stores earlier this week on March 27, as one of the most highly-anticipated HD DVD releases on the format thus far, and as our Kenneth Brown wrote in his recent review of the disc, it apparently boasts stellar video and audio. Unfortunately, more than a few Xbox 360 owners have had issues playing it on the device’s popular HD DVD add-on drive, with many of our readers writing in to say that the disc simply won’t play, and that even multiple returns of the disc have produced the same issue. When testing the disc out on our own Xbox 360 add-on HD DVD drive, we had the same results — the disc spins in the tray, but is seemingly unrecognized by the system. A black screen and a reboot threw us back to the Microsoft Dashboard menu regardless of how many times we continued to try and load the film. We tried this dic on another Xbox 360 and found the same problem. Strangely, that tryout was even more unsuccessful — we didn’t even make it to a black screen, it simply spun the disc longer than usual and remained at the Dashboard menu. [/QUOTE] Full Story: highdefdigest.com (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Technical_Glitches/Xbox_360/Microsoft/Universal/Children_of_Men_HD_DVD_Hits_Xbox_360_Playback_Snag/552 )
The China Angle: Wii Piracy, World Of Warcraft Beaten?
Gamasutra Columns :: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Gamasutra’s latest China Angle column sees Pacific Epoch’s Shang Koo taking a look at the major happenings in the surging Chinese game market, with Wii modchips driving up the price of hardware, and Zhengtu Online allegedly out-performing World Of Warcraft.
Media Consumption: Relentless Software’s Jeff Gamon
Gamasutra Columns :: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
For this week’s Media Consumption, a column that looks at the media and art diets of our favorite industry personalities, we spoke to Jeff Gamon, Executive Producer at Brighton-based studio Relentless Software (Buzz: The Music Quizz).
PlayStation 3 hardware sales plummet 82 per cent
GamesIndustry.biz :: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Chart Track has confirmed to GamesIndustry.bizthat sales of PlayStation 3 hardware have dropped dramatically on the second week of release in the UK.
Zelnick outlines Take-Two changes
GamesIndustry.biz :: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Newly appointed chairman of Take-Two Strauss Zelnick has outlined areas of change for the troubled publisher – pointing to financial and staff issues as the immediate focus.
Sony confirms PSP price cut for US
GamesIndustry.biz :: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
A spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has confirmed to GamesIndustry.bizthat the price of the PSP has been cut in the US.
